Flash-light mechanism



' E. H. FREEMAN FLASH LIGHT MECHANISM Filed July 25, 1923 5 SheetsQShoot 2 yenar freeman July 13 1926.

'E. H. FREEMAN FLASH LIGHT MECHANISM Filed Juli 23, 1923 3 sheets sho'ot 5 a m w i -MUM .45 I a 0 w my a a, a 2 l F H m W 7 A I m -U n a a 2 I L w I N "ma v a, m 1 mm m muw. w 2 a .AnIEsESE; NH #2 9 Mr MM 2 i the contact members.

Patented July 13, 1926.

UNITED STATES {PATENT 0F ERNEST H. FREEMAN, OE WILMETTE, ILLINOIS.

' 1,592,455 FICE.

FLASH-LIGHT mncnnmsm;

be operated on a variable current and in which the opening of the circuit ocourswhenthe current is at its minimum strength, thereby preventing sparking or arcing of Another object of the invention is the provision of a variable resistance eIementfor producing a variable current and the association of suitable mechanism therewith and operated thereby for automatically opening and closing an electric circuit. I

A further object of the invention is the provision of a circuit opening and closing device in which the mechamsm is operated by a variable current produced by a variable resistance element and in which the said variable resistance element is utilized as an energy translating device, such as a filament for a signal light. Y

Still further objects of the invention are the provision of a new'and improved signal device and operating mechanism therefor that is readily assembled; cheap to manufacture; simple in construction; efficient in operation; and one that is not likely to get out of order.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the fol lowing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the mechanism; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic front elevation of the same; Fig.3 is a .vertical secthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are vertical sections on the lines 4, 5 and 60f Fig. 3; Fig; 7 is a side elevation of a slight- 1y modified form of the device; and Figs.

8 and 9 are sectional views on lines 88 and .9 9, respectively, of Fig. 7.

Application filed July 23, 1923. Serial No. 653,392.

This may be placed in series with a battery 13- and with an automatic circuit opening and closing device, which will presently be described and which is shown as mounted upon a base 14.

In certain forms of circuit opening and closing devices motors are emplo ed for operating the movable contact whi e in others a vibrator, a solenoid or a thermostat is used for this purpose. vices are too costly to operate; some are too complicated in construction; while others are aifecte'dby climatic changes and conditions and are unreliable in their operation. In order to overcome these difficulties, the present construction contemplates the use of a simple electrically operated mechanism for 'operating the movable contact in one direc- In the form of the device selected to illustrate acne embodiment of the invention, the circuit opening and closing mechanism is employed for operating a flashlight 10 which is preferably mounted on a suitable reflector 11, or behind a lens, on a post 12.

tion while suitable means such as resilient members or their equivalents are employed to render matlc.

the device continuous and auto- In the form of the device disclosed, a magnet and a coil are employed,-one of Some of these dewhich is movable relatively to the other.

Preferably the coil is movable, but not necessarily so. As shown on the drawings, a permanent Ushaped magnet 15 whichmay be termed a stator member is mounted on the baselt and has a coil 16 mounted be tween the outer ends of the permanent magnet, upon a frame 17 the latter being carried upon knife edges 18 and supports 19. 'By mounting the movable portion of the device on knife edges the frictional resistance of the movable frame is reduced to of the device. One end of the coil 16 is grounded upon the frame 17, while the other is connected to a spring contact 20, as shown in Fig. 6. This spring contact is secured to the center of the frame 17 and insulated therefrom, and is adapted to make contact with the adjusting-screw 21, which is carried by a plate 22, which in turn is connected to the wire from the battery 13,, as shown in Fig. 1.

A resilient member 23 which may be in the form of alight coiledspring as shown in Fig. 4 tends to hold the contacts 20 and 21 normally in engagement. One end of the spring 23 is attached to the coil frame 17 and the other end is fastened to the base 14. Counterbalancing weights 24 are also carried by the frame 17 for regulating the balance of the frame,

'- ing a variable current this purpose.

. although creased resistance when hot. r i

If it is desired to increase the magnetic flux across the ends of the permanent magnet, this may be accomplished in any well known manner as by providing a fixedhollow core. 25 of soft iron or the like, which isi cylindrical in form and which lies within the coil 16, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

Means are provided for operating the circuit opening and closing device on a variablecurrent. In the form of the device disclosed the arrangement is such that the current rapidly decreases on closing the circuit but it is understood it may be otherwise. In the embodiment selected to illustrate the invention means are provided for producand for opening the circuit at the currents minimum strength, whereby sparking or arcing of the con-, tacts is prevented or greatly reduced during the operation of the device, and the life of the contacts thereby prolonged.

Any suitable means may be employed for Preferably an element having a variable resistance is employed in the circuit. This resistance element may be located anywhere in the circuit. In the construction shown wherein the circuit opening and closing device is employed to operate a flash or signal light the'resistance element, for convenience and economy, may take the form of the filament for the lamp,

it is understood that it is immaterial what form of filament is employed for the lamps so long as an element having a sufficient variable resistance be employed somewhere in the circuit.

It is a well known fact that with tungsten or other metal filaments the resistance of the filament is many times as great when hot as it is when cold. Conse uently at the instant of closing a circuit, w ich is of relatively low resistance, wherein atungsten filament lamp is placed, the amount of current at the instant of closing the circuit is several times that existing after the lamphas been brought up to its normal candle power. 1

This fact is made use of in the present invention by passing the current through the coil 16 in such a it in aiclockwise direction, as shown in Fig. 6. The circuit is closed by a movement of the coil 16 carrying the contact 20 into engagement with the screw 21, the movement being caused by the spring 23 in this dimetion and the strong current existing momentarily due to the low resistance of the tu ngsten lamp when cold causes the coil to be turned still further, thereby deflecting the spring 20 and storing up energy therein. While the coil 16 is being brought to rest by the screw 21 acting on the spring 20, the lamp 10 is rapidly heating up and as it does so the current drops rapidly due to its/ in- As this curdirection as to tend to turn supported by the bracket rent decreases, the torque, tending to turn the coil 16in a clockwise direction, correspondingly decreases until a point is reached where the force due to the energy stored up in the spring 20 more than counter-balances the torque due to the current and the coil is forced back in a counter-clockwise direction under the impulse of the spring 20, and this spring is carried back by the coil and out of contact with the screw 21, thereby breaking the circuit.

This movement of the coil in a counterclockwise direction continues by the action of the spring 23, which again forces the coil 16 back until the spring 20 again makes contact with the screw 21, when the cycle, as above described, is reenacted.

It will thus be seen that by each oscillation of the coil 16, the cold lamp 10 is brought up to full brilliancy, the lamp circuit opened and the lamp allowed to cool down. An automatic flash lamp is thus provided, which gives a brilliant flash at regular intervals and which requires substantially no attention.

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are shown a modified form of the device in which the knife edge bearings for supporting the movable coil are arranged in the plane of the coil and the resilient and non-resilient contact mem' bers are interchanged. By this arrange ment the plane of the coil 16 tially vertical thus necessitating arranging the magnet 15 at a slight inclination. The magnet is held in position by a suitable holding bracket 26 mounted on the base 14. The web 27 of the frame 17 may be provided with knife edges 18 for engaging suit-able bearings carried by the supports 19 secured to the holding bracket 26. The soft iron core 25 may also be supported from the holding bracket .26 and is arranged in the same relative position as the core 25 in Figs. 1 to 6.

The coil supporting frame 17 may be formed from sheet-metal stampings and it is provided with extensions 29 and 30 at each end thereof outwardly of the coil. The extension 29 is adapted to adjustably support inertia weights such as the screws 24 while the extension 30 is utilized to hold one end of the sprin 23. The outer end of the spring 23" is a justably held in the outer end of a bracket 31 as by being clamped therein.

The. frame 17 is provided with an insulated contact member ,20 to which one end of the coil 16 is connected. The other con-' tact member 21 isyieldingly supported by the spring member 22 The member 22" is insulated from device in any suitable manner as by being 32 which may be mounted on the.base 14. Suitable conductors connect the bracket 32 with the terminal until stopped is substan-' the metallic parts of the fwill tend to turnthe coil 16 counter-clock-- wise and open the circuit. When the circuit is opened .the sprin 23" will return the coil to again close the circuit and thus complete a cycle of operation. With this arrange ment a variable resistance element in the circuit' is obviously not necessary to the operation of the device.

While Ihave shown described certain embodiments of my invention; it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadlyas possible in view of the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A flasher com rising in combination, anv electric lamp a apted to change its resistance as it becomes heated, a switch in circuit therewith comprising a pair ofcontacts, yielding means supporting one of said contacts, means normally pressing one of said contacts toward the other thus holding said switch normally closed, electromagnetic acting u on initiation of current inthe circuit to s ore energy in said yielding means and by change of current due to change of resistance of said lamp allowing the rebound of the yielding means by the stored energy to momentarily open said switch.

2. A flasher comprising in combination, a metallic filament lamp, a switch in circuit therewith comprising a pair of contacts, resilient means supporting one of said contacts, a coil mounted to oscillate in a magnetic field coacting with said contacts and so connected in circuit with said lamp and switch as to cause increased pressure beto tween said contacts with strain of said resilient means when current is initiated in said circuit, means acting upon said coil to normally press one of said contacts against the other, rebound of said resilient means momentarily separating said contacts when current 1n said coil drops upon heating of the filament in 'said'lamp. 4

3. A flasher comprising in combination, a metallic filament lamp, a switch in circuit therewith comprising a relatively fixed and relatively movable contact, resilient means supporting one of said contacts, a coil mounted'to oscillate in a magnetic field carrying said relatively movable contact and so connected in circuit with said lamp and means in circuit with said lamp and switch.

switch as to cause increased pressure between said contacts with strain of said resilient means when current is initiated in said circuit, and means acting upon saidcoil to press one of sa d contacts normally! against the other, rebound of said resilient a coil mounted to oscillate between the poles ofsaid magnet on an axis parallel with the. legs thereof, a normally closed switch in .circuit with said lamp comprising. a fixed contact, and a spring supported contact carried by the mounting of said coil, said coil connected in circuit with said switch and lamp to rotate so as to strain the spring against the fixed contact upon initiation of current in said circuit, resilient means urg ing rotation of the coil to hold the switch closed, rebound of the spring acting to momentarily open said switch against the pressure of said resilient means when current in the coil drops as the lamp becomes heated.

5. In combination, an electric circuit in-' cluding a conductor element the resistance of which varies as said element becomes heated, a .pair of contacts in said circuit, yielding means supporting one of said contacts, means normally pressing one of said contacts toward the other, and means in circuit with said conductor element operating upon the initiation of the current to move one of said contacts toward the other against said yieldingmeans and by change of current due to change in resistance in said conductor permitting rebound of the yielding means to open said circuit.

6. In a flasher, in combination, an electric lamp, a normally closed cut-out switch in series with the lamp, and means controlled by the circuit for opening the switch as the lamp resistance increases by reason of the heatmg of its translating element.

7. In a device of the class described, an electric circuit includin a conductor varying in resistance at di erent temperatures for causing a variable current in said circuit, a normally closed switch in the circuit, and means including mechanism controlled by the variation of current through said conductor for opening and closing said switch. 7

8. In a device ofthe class described, a stator member, an armaturev member movably mounted in proximity to said first named member, an electric circuit including a. source of electric energy and a winding for one of said members for causing said armature to move in the direction of closing the circuit when the circuit through said winding is closed, a switch in said circuit, said circuit including a conductor varying in resistance at different temperatures for producing a variable current through said winding, and means for causing said armature to move in the direction to open said switch when the strength of the current through said winding reaches a predetermined amount. .Q

9. In a device of the class described, an electric circuit including a source of electricity, circuit breaker mechanism including a movable contact member in said circuit, said mechanism adapted to be operated by a variable current through said contact member, means for operating said mechanism, including a conductor varying in resistance at difierent temperatures and producing a variable current through said contact member, and means for automatically restoring the parts to their initial position after said mechanism has been operated by said variable current.

10. In combination, a normally closed electric circuit including a source of electrical energy, a variable current operated mechanism including a switch for opening said circuit, an electric conductor means having a low resistance when cool and a high resistance when hot, for producing a variable current for operating said mechanism, and means for automatically closing said switch, said conductor means being in series with said mechanism.

11. In combination, an electric circuit, an

. electric lamp in said circuit having a low resistance whencool anda high resistance when hot for producing a variable current, and means inc uding control mechanism operated by said current for opening and closing said circuit for causing said'lamp to emit series of flashes.

12. An electric circuit including a lamp having a filament the resistance of which varies as the filament heats up, a source of electricity, and mechanism operable by the change of current due to said change of re-' sistance of the filament, to break said circuit, said filament being in series with said 7 source of electricity.

the same reaches its mimmum intensi 13. An electric circuit including a condoctor, the resistance of which varies as theconductor heats up, a source of electricity,

and mechanism operable by the change of current due to said change of resistance of said conductor to interrupt said current through said mechanism when the same reaches a low intensity.

1 An electric circuit including a lam having a filament, the resistance of whic varies as the filament heats up electricity, change of current due to said change of re sistance of the filament to break said circuit, and means for returningsaid circuit to a normally closed position whereby said filament will emit series of flashes in rapid succession.

15. In a device of the class described, an electric circuit including coil means, means for producing a magnetic field, mechanism for movably supporting one of said means in the field of the other, a source of electrical energy and a pair of contact members for opening and closing said circuit through said coil, means for resiliently supporting one of said contact members and resilient means for normally-maintaining said members in engagement,

16, In a device of the class described, a ma net,a coil, knife edge bearings for pivota 1y mounting said coil tooscillate in the field. of said magnet, a contact member, means including a conductor for connecting one end of said coil to said member, a movable contact member operated by said coil, means for resiliently supporting one of a source of mechanism operable by the 17. Ina device of the class described, an

electric circuit,'a1conductor the resistance of which increases as the same heats up, in said circuit, and mechanism, including means in said circuit, for interrupting the flow of electricity through said means when ERNEST H. FREE 

